"Crush them and sell them for scrap" - that's Maitland councillor Henry Meskauskas' solution to the city's feral shopping trolley problem. For several years now Cr Meskauskas has been complaining about the number of trolleys dumped in public places, streets, parks, wetlands - and he has had enough. This week he said he wants to follow the lead of council's in Sydney's western suburbs who have banded together and started collecting feral trolleys, crushing them and selling them for scrap metal. "We have approached all the supermarkets and asked them to pick up their game and collect these trolleys from our streets but the problem hasn't improved and the city looks like a junkyard," he said. Independent online publication Government News reported this week how the NSW government will consider handing local councils stronger powers to crack down on abandoned shopping trolleys after 1000 dumped trolleys were picked up in western Sydney alone over two days. Local government minister Shelley Hancock said that the government is launching a formal review of the Impounding Act. "The review will consider the provision of stronger powers for local councils and other potential solutions to reduce the impact of abandoned shopping trolleys on local communities," she said. The councils are also calling for legislation to allow them to fine customers who abandon trolleys in public places. Some of the trolleys collected in western Sydney were crushed by a council loader. Cr Meskauskas said he will raise Maitland's issue at next Tuesday night's council meeting. "I've had enough," he said. "The people responsible and the supermarkets don't care about the mess or the cost to collect them and dispose of them. "I'd like to see them crushed and sold for scrap. "It's not just the supermarkets who should be held accountable - it's also the people who take them home and are too lazy to walk them back the the shops. We're becoming lazier as a society. "They just dump them a few doors up from where they live, in parks or lane ways, they just don't care. Woolworths and Coles both offer home delivery - why don't they take advanatage of that," Cr Meskauskas said. Cr Meskauskas said council needs to formulate a policy to police trolly dumping which is a city-wide problem. Local Government news said Western Sydney councils collected more than 1000 trolleys during two bliztes this year, including 550 rounded up last week by a coalition of trolley crusaders from Fairfield, Penrith, Liverpool and Cumberland city councils.

For several years now Cr Meskauskas has been complaining about the number of trolleys dumped in public places, streets, parks, wetlands - and he has had enough.

This week he said he wants to follow the lead of council's in Sydney's western suburbs who have banded together and started collecting feral trolleys, crushing them and selling them for scrap metal.

"We have approached all the supermarkets and asked them to pick up their game and collect these trolleys from our streets but the problem hasn't improved and the city looks like a junkyard," he said.

Independent online publication Government News reported this week how the NSW government will consider handing local councils stronger powers to crack down on abandoned shopping trolleys after 1000 dumped trolleys were picked up in western Sydney alone over two days.

Local government minister Shelley Hancock said that the government is launching a formal review of the Impounding Act.

"The review will consider the provision of stronger powers for local councils and other potential solutions to reduce the impact of abandoned shopping trolleys on local communities," she said.

The councils are also calling for legislation to allow them to fine customers who abandon trolleys in public places.

Some of the trolleys collected in western Sydney were crushed by a council loader.

Cr Meskauskas said he will raise Maitland's issue at next Tuesday night's council meeting.

"I've had enough," he said.

"The people responsible and the supermarkets don't care about the mess or the cost to collect them and dispose of them.

"I'd like to see them crushed and sold for scrap.

"It's not just the supermarkets who should be held accountable - it's also the people who take them home and are too lazy to walk them back the the shops. We're becoming lazier as a society.

"They just dump them a few doors up from where they live, in parks or lane ways, they just don't care. Woolworths and Coles both offer home delivery - why don't they take advanatage of that," Cr Meskauskas said.

Cr Meskauskas said council needs to formulate a policy to police trolly dumping which is a city-wide problem.

Local Government news said Western Sydney councils collected more than 1000 trolleys during two bliztes this year, including 550 rounded up last week by a coalition of trolley crusaders from Fairfield, Penrith, Liverpool and Cumberland city councils.